I know I shouldn't be starting a new topic just for this, but I don't even care. I just want the entire world of MDN to see this. Last night I attended A Little Night Music on Broadway and saw Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. Now, after having previously seen Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, I was highly skeptical going in, but let me tell you... I can't even IMAGINE Catherine and Angela playing those roles anymore.

Bernadette and Elaine are truly two of the best musical theatre actresses alive today, especially the latter. Those two women took on iconic roles and literally redefined them. I urge anyone and EVERYONE to see them before the show closes in a few weeks. And everyone who thought Elaine was going to be bad or couldn't imagine her in the role, SEE HER. She gives one of the most honest, genuine and heartbreaking performances I've ever had the pleasure of seeing live. She made Angela look like an AMATEUR in that role. Angela, like always, gave nothing but schtick and a senseless performance. Elaine was utterly moving. I can't rave enough about her performance.

The same can be said for Bernadette. Her entire performance was just magnificent. The show just made SENSE this time. I want to elaborate more, but I am so exhausted right now. But basically, my point is, if you have the chance in the next 3 weeks, SEE THE SHOW. It's a MUST.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the show and thank you for your honest review. I would love to see A Little Night Music on Broadway before it closes but it's just not doable for me. It's good to see a Sondheim revival on Broadway. Hopefully there will be more in the future.

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Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:36 am

Pannic

Broadway Legend / MdN Veteran

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:21 pmPosts: 2570Location: California

Re: I just have to say...

The prospect of Bernadette singing "Send in the Clowns" or the hilarious lines in "You Must Meet My Wife" is a very promising prospect, indeed.

I disagree that Stritch made Lansbury look like an 'amateur'....Stritch's line flubs and slow, slow line readings that are at times extremely suspicious of her trying to remember the next line imo seem unprofessional to me. I agree it is extremely honest, though.

Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:16 pm

Jman383

Broadway Legend / MdN Veteran

Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 7:03 pmPosts: 2756Location: New York, NY

Re: I just have to say...

Yes, but honestly, not only was that absent in the show I saw the other night (now that she is more seasoned in the role), but it also no reflection of her talent or process as an actress. Sure, Angela's memory and stage savyness may be stronger in her age, but you can't even compare their performances. Stritch barely sang one line in "Liasons" and had the audience laughing all over the place, and quite choked up by the end. And forget about that ending monologue. Barely a dry eye in the house. Angela was pure fluff as Madame A. She never took any of her lines seriously. She played solely for laughs. Mind you, Elaine (and Bernadette for that matter) were the definition of HAM at times, but balanced with their sincere conviction, it made for a great contrast and equilibrium. Angela and Catherine on the other hand, had no such balance and therefore didn't come out as strong. But that's just my opinion.

Oh, might I also mention, still, to this date, Ramona Mallory's voice is easily the best in the entire production. I am literally obsessed with it. Her acting, however, is all over the place. But I can forgive her I suppose. There needs to be a voice and speech/dialect coach on the production. She could seriously benefit from it.

Also, Erin Davie, while absolutely fabulous in every single way, is getting carried away with her back phrasing in "Every Day.." She made it so the overlapping verses didn't line up. I understand that acting is everything, but Sondheim calculated the rhythms for that song so brilliantly, it's a shame she is toying with it. I wish the MD or PSM would say something.

Yes, but honestly, not only was that absent in the show I saw the other night (now that she is more seasoned in the role),

I saw her twice and she had several flubs as little as 10 days ago, including a line called from the wings in Liaisons. She said to Bernadette at curtain call, at the same performance "I'm so confused" when she wasn't quite sure what to do their either (joys of sitting close). She only flubbed one line two days beforehand though (Sunday Matt vs Tuesday Night).

I guess I don't want to make the entire conversation about this though, but I still find it interesting.

I enjoyed both CZJ/Lansbury and Peters/Stritch immensely.

And RE: Ramona. I think she sounds better in the theatre. And Hunter too. I think the entire production sounds much better in the theatre, actually.

Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:04 am

lakmé

Off-Broadway Lead

Joined: Thu May 15, 2003 7:59 amPosts: 192Location: London

Re: I just have to say...

I saw it and loved it, Bernadette Peters was phenomenal. I've never seen the role played that way, but it made perfect sense; I totally believed Desiree and for the first time loved her more than the Countess. It was a stellar production.

I did not like Ramona Mallory....her line deliveries were à la William Shatner. I dug her voice, I just didn't dig her performance....but that wasn't enough to distract from the show as a whole.

The dialects were jokes, across the board...everyone just should have stuck with a standard general American accent. I mean, it's Sweden, not England. My one Swedish friend speaks English with an American accent, anyway.

Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:58 am

Jman383

Broadway Legend / MdN Veteran

Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 7:03 pmPosts: 2756Location: New York, NY

Re: I just have to say...

^^ I agree with everything you said, girl. Ramona's deliveries were ridiculous. She breaks up ev-ery-sin-gle-line. It's horrid.

And yes, they should have just used Standard Stage for the production. The thing is, originally, since Alexander Hanson, Catherine and Angela were all British, the concept was to have the higher class be British, and the working class (Petra) to be basically, midwestern. I don't agree with the concept at all, but that is what they were going for, I believe.

But Erin Davie's British dialect was quite nice, I thought. And I didn't mind at all that Elaine was very American.

Erin Davie's was the closest to right. It wouldn't have passed muster in the UK, but, hey, most of the American accents in the UK are pretty dodgy, so I guess it goes both ways.

Sat Dec 18, 2010 4:37 pm

Hans

Broadway Legend

Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 4:55 amPosts: 1957Location: Norway

Re: I just have to say...

Jman383 wrote:

I just want the entire world of MDN to see this. Last night I attended A Little Night Music on Broadway and saw Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.

I am very envious. But I'd like you elaborate on this:

Jman383 wrote:

Angela, like always, gave nothing but schtick and a senseless performance.

Now, I saw Lansbury in Night Music last February, and am very happy I have had the opporetunity to seeing her. Now, my judgement may have been blunted as this was the first thing I've seen on Broadway, ever. But in general I have never heard anything but praise for Lansbury, and her intelligent approach to her roles.

I saw the final Wed. Mattinee. I couldn't tell if Elaine was stumbling over lines or if it was character....it was my first experience with the show in any capacity (I forced myself to restrain from listening to the recording, which I am glad that I did). She was certainly able to recover and most of the audience was probably unaware, but having read this thread before going, I have to wonder...